KR102586852B1 - Biased passages in a diffuser and corresponding method for designing such a diffuser - Google Patents

Abstract

The turbomachines are equipped with one or more flow guiding features designed to increase the performance of the turbomachine (3400, 3700, 4000, 4800). In some examples, the flow guiding features are configured to bias the circumferential pressure distribution at the diffuser inlet 2210, 2310, 3410, 4204, 4810, 5208, 808 for circumferential uniformity, otherwise low-frequency spatial pressure variation. It is designed and configured to account for, increase controllability of spatial flow field deviations, or correct flow field deviations. In some examples, a plurality of first vanes 1002, 1102, 1202, 1302, 1402, 1502, 1602, 1702, 1802, 1902, 2002, 2204, 2304, 2402, 2502, 2602, 2702, 2802, 29 02, 3002, 3102, 3202, 3302, 812, 902) and first vanes (1002, 1102, 1202, 1302, 1402, 1502, 1602, 1702, 1802, 1902, 2002, 2204, 2304, 2402) , 2502, 2602, At least one second vane (1004, 1104, 1204, 1304, 1404, 1504, 1604a, 1604b, 206, 2702, 2802, 2902, 3002, 3102, 3202, 3302, 812, 902) A diffuser (1000, 1100, 1200, 1300, 1500, 1600, 1700, 1800, 1900, 2000, 2100, 2200, 2300, 2400, 2500, 2600, 2700, 2800, 2900, 3000, 3200, 3300, 3404, 4004, 4 700, 4804, 5000, 5200, 602, 800, 900) are disclosed. In some examples, one or more biased passages (1006, 1106, 1206, 1306, 1506A, 1606A, 1606B, 2406, 2506, 2606, 2706, 2806A, 2906A, 3206, 4510, 816) are used to bias the flow field. Diffusers (1100, 1900, 2400, 2500) having aperiodic sections (2412, 2512, 2612, 2712, 2812) comprising: In some examples, one or both of the hub (3407, 4002, 4504, 4807, 5002, 5204, 804, 904) and shroud (3406, 4502, 4708, 4712, 4806, 5004, 5202, 806, 906) surfaces. Turbomachines having flow direction elongated recesses 4706 are disclosed.

Description

Biased passages in a diffuser and corresponding method for designing such a diffuser

This application is U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62, filed April 30, 2015 and entitled “Biased Passage(s) Flow Devices For Turbomachinery” /155,341, and filed on October 19, 2015, entitled “Methods for Designing a Turbomachinery Considering Non-Uniform Pressure at the Diffuser Inlet and Related Structures and Devices (Methods For Designing) Claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/243,415, entitled "Turbomachines To Account For Non-Uniform Pressures At Diffuser Inlet And Associated Structures And Devices". Each of these applications is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

The present invention relates to the field of turbomachinery. In particular, the invention relates to biased passages for turbomachinery.

Various diffuser types have been utilized over the past several decades for centrifugal pumps and compressors. In some cases, a good impeller is designed first, then a good diffuser next, or both elements are designed simultaneously. Nevertheless, essentially all past work has been based on the quasi-steady/axisymmetric assumption of the diffuser inlet flow, which has been treated simply as a one-dimensional (1D) velocity triangle model for preliminary design. It is based on Many of these assumptions are also made in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models used today. In general, at some level, regardless of the number of blades, the flow leaving the impeller and then again entering the diffuser, regardless of the number of vanes, is essentially periodic and axisymmetric, completely and uniformly flowing through each diffuser passage. It has been assumed that filling Patent Publication No. 10-2013-0045280 discloses a centrifugal compressor diffuser and a centrifugal compressor equipped with the same.

In one embodiment, the invention includes a plurality of diffuser passages positioned around the circumference of a diffuser to accommodate a flow field having a circumferential pressure distribution, wherein the diffuser passages have at least one periodic section and at least one aperiodic section. and wherein the at least one aperiodic section includes at least one biased passageway positioned, configured, and dimensioned to bias the circumferential pressure distribution for circumferential uniformity. .

In another embodiment, the present invention provides a plurality of first vanes arranged in a row around a portion of the circumference of a diffuser; and at least one second vane positioned between one of the first vanes, each of the first vanes being spaced a first circumferential distance from an adjacent first vane, and at least one second vane. The vanes have different properties than the first vanes, and the other properties are such that they create a biased passageway close to at least one second vane, thereby adjusting the circumferential pressure distribution of the flow field entering the diffuser for a circumferentially uniform pressure distribution. It's about a biasing diffuser.

In another embodiment, the present invention provides a hub and shroud; a plurality of first vanes extending from the hub to the shroud and arranged in a row about a portion of the circumference of the diffuser; and at least one second vane positioned between the ones of the first vanes, wherein the at least one second vane extends from the hub to the shroud and has different characteristics than the first vanes. It's about a diffuser.

In another embodiment, the present invention provides a hub and shroud; A diffuser comprising a plurality of vane groupings, each of which includes at least two vanes, each of the at least two vanes having characteristics different from others of the at least two vanes.

In another embodiment, the present invention provides a method for designing a diffuser having an inlet, a plurality of vanes to reduce the circumferential pressure deviation near the inlet, and the pressure deviation having a main spatial frequency lower than the spatial frequency of the vanes. It's about. The method includes providing a plurality of diffuser passages each having an inlet and positioned around the circumference of the diffuser; and positioning at least one biased diffuser passage between the ones of the plurality of diffuser passages, wherein the biased diffuser passage has a circumferential pressure differential at the inlets of the plurality of diffuser passages. In order to minimize, a plurality of diffuser passages and a different cross-sectional area are provided.

In another embodiment, the present invention includes developing a computational model of an axisymmetric diffuser; calculating the performance of the diffuser when a circumferential pressure distribution with a time-averaged low-frequency circumferential deviation exists at the inlet of the diffuser; modifying the computational model to add at least one biased flow passage to the diffuser; calculating the performance of the modified diffuser; and comparing diffuser performance from the two calculation steps to determine whether the biased flow path improved diffuser performance.

In another embodiment, measuring the circumferential pressure distribution at the inlet of a first diffuser having periodic diffuser passages; Replacing the first diffuser with a second diffuser having at least one aperiodic section with at least one biased diffuser passage; measuring the circumferential pressure distribution at the inlet of the second diffuser; and comparing pressure distributions from the two measurement steps to determine whether the second diffuser reduces undesirable deviations in the magnitude of the measured circumferential pressure distribution by a predetermined amount. It's about how to design.

In another embodiment, the present invention provides an inlet and an outlet; a hub surface and a shroud surface extending between the inlet and outlet, respectively; and a plurality of flow direction recesses disposed in at least one of the hub and shroud surfaces, wherein the plurality of recesses relate to an aperiodic vaneless diffuser.

In another embodiment, the present invention includes a plurality of diffuser passages positioned around the circumference of a diffuser to accommodate a flow field, the flow field having a circumferential pressure distribution, the diffuser passages having a first effective cross section along the flow direction. comprising a first set of passages each having an area distribution and at least one biased passageway having a second effective cross-sectional area distribution along the flow direction, wherein the first and second effective cross-sectional area distributions are different, and at least One biased passage relates to a turbomachinery diffuser positioned, configured, and dimensioned to bias the circumferential pressure distribution toward circumferential uniformity.

Incorporated herein.

To illustrate the invention, the drawings represent aspects of one or more embodiments of the invention. However, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact arrangements and instrumentalities shown in the following drawings.
1 shows circumferential static pressure measurements at the impeller tip/diffuser inlet for a flat plate diffuser operably coupled to a centrifugal compressor impeller operating at 120,000 RPM.
Figure 2 is a subset of data from Figure 1.
Figure 3 shows circumferential static pressure measurements for the same machine as Figures 1 and 2, but operating at 135,000 RPM.
Figure 4 shows circumferential static pressure measurements for a channel diffuser operably coupled to a centrifugal compressor impeller operating at 100,000 RPM.
Figure 5 shows circumferential static pressure measurements for the same machine as Figure 4, but operating at 135,000 RPM.
Figure 6 shows a prior art volute.
Figure 7 shows circumferential static pressure measurements for a compressor or pump with a downstream volute.
Figure 8 shows a flat plate diffuser with a biased passageway formed by partial height vanes attached to the shroud surface.
Figure 9 shows a flat plate diffuser with a biased passageway formed by partial height vanes attached to the hub surface.
Figure 10 shows a flat plate diffuser with biased passages formed by second vanes with alternating flowwise locations and stagger angles.
Figure 11 shows a flat plate diffuser with biased passages formed by secondary vanes with alternating thicknesses.
Figure 12 shows a flat plate diffuser with biased passages formed by secondary vanes with alternating thicknesses.
Figure 13 shows a flat plate diffuser with biased passages formed by secondary vanes with alternating chord lengths.
Figure 14 shows a flat plate diffuser with biased passages formed by secondary vanes with alternating chord lengths and stagger angles.
Figure 15 shows a flat plate diffuser with a biased passageway formed by secondary vanes with alternating pitch.
Figure 16 shows a flat plate diffuser with a biased passageway formed by secondary vanes with alternating chord lengths and thicknesses.
Figure 17 shows a flat plate diffuser with a row of vanes including first and second vanes, the second vanes having alternative chord lengths.
Figure 18 shows a flat plate diffuser with a row of vanes including first and second vanes, the second vanes having alternating chord lengths and leading edge positions.
Figure 19 shows a flat plate diffuser with a row of vanes including first and second vanes, the second vanes having alternating angles of deviation.
Figure 20 shows a flat plate diffuser with a row of vanes including first and second vanes, with a staggered angle alternating the first vanes.
Figure 21 shows a prior art channel diffuser.
Figure 22 shows a channel diffuser with first and second vanes, the second vanes being flat plate vanes.
Figure 23 shows a channel diffuser with first and second vanes, the second vanes being flat plate vanes.
Figure 24 shows a channel diffuser with biased passageways formed by secondary vanes with alternating wedge angles.
Figure 25 shows a channel diffuser with biased passageways formed by secondary vanes with alternating wedge angles.
Figure 26 shows a channel diffuser with biased passages formed by secondary vanes with alternating chord lengths.
Figure 27 shows a channel diffuser with biased passages formed by secondary vanes with alternating stagger angles.
Figure 28 shows a channel diffuser with biased passages formed by secondary vanes with alternating pitches.
Figure 29 shows a channel diffuser with a biased passageway formed by secondary vanes with alternating chord lengths and wedge angles.
Figure 30 shows a channel diffuser with a row of vanes including first and second vanes, the second vanes having alternating chord lengths.
Figure 31 shows a channel diffuser with a row of vanes including first and second vanes, the second vanes having alternating chord lengths and leading edge positions.
Figure 32 shows a channel diffuser with a row of vanes including first and second vanes, the first vanes having alternating angles of deviation.
Figure 33 shows a channel diffuser with a row of vanes including first and second vanes, the first vanes having alternating angles of deviation.
Figure 34 shows a turbomachine with a diffuser and a shroud with flow direction grooves.
Figure 35 is another view of the shroud and diffuser of Figure 34.
Figure 36 is another view of the shroud and diffuser of Figures 34 and 35.
Figure 37 shows a turbomachine with a diffuser and a shroud with flow direction grooves.
Figure 38 is another view of the shroud and diffuser of Figure 37.
Figure 39 is another view of the shroud and diffuser of Figures 37 and 38.
Figure 40 shows a turbomachine with a hub and shroud with flow direction grooves in the shroud and a diffuser.
Figure 41 is another view of the shroud and diffuser of Figure 40.
Figure 42 is another view of the shroud and diffuser of Figures 40 and 41.
Figure 43 shows the shroud and hub of Figures 40-42 with the hub clocked relative to the shroud.
Figure 44 is a front view of the clocked hub and shroud of Figure 43;
Figure 45 shows a diffuser including a shroud and a hub with flow direction recesses, with one set of recesses having different characteristics than the other recesses, creating a biased passageway.
Figure 46 is a front view of the diffuser of Figure 45.
Figure 47 is a cross-sectional view of a diffuser passageway, the cross-section being taken at a position downstream of the leading edge of the passageway and showing recesses in the hub and shroud surfaces of the passageway, providing a biased passageway.
Figure 48 shows a turbomachine with a hub and a shroud with flow direction channels in the shroud and a diffuser.
Figure 49 is another view of the diffuser of Figure 48.
Figure 50 shows a turbomachine with a diffuser having flow direction channels in a hub and shroud, one of which has different properties than the others, creating a biased passage.
Figure 51 is a front view of the diffuser of Figure 50.
Figure 52 shows a vaned diffuser with flow direction channels in the shroud surface, one of the channels being a biased passage.
Figure 53 is a front view of the diffuser of Figure 52.

Aspects of the invention include turbomachines equipped with one or more flow guiding features designed to increase turbomachine performance. In some examples, the flow guiding features are designed and configured to bias the circumferential pressure distribution at the diffuser inlet toward circumferential uniformity, or otherwise account for low-frequency spatial pressure variations. In some examples, a diffuser is disclosed having a row of vanes including a plurality of first vanes and at least one second vane having characteristics different from the first vanes. In some examples, diffusers are disclosed having an aperiodic section containing one or more biased passages to bias the flow field. As described herein, the present invention encompasses various combinations of flow guidance features that can be incorporated into a turbomachinery to account for flow field characteristics, including but not limited to circumferential asymmetries, thereby improving the performance of the turbomachinery. improve.

1-5 are graphs of static pressure versus circumferential angle for various diffuser types and operating conditions, each of which is operably disposed downstream of a centrifugal compressor. Figures 1-5 show the time-averaged static pressure, both at several circumferential locations around the machines and at a streamwise location between the impeller outlet and the diffuser inlet, respectively. Figure 1 shows the time average static pressures at various flow rates 102-116, all at the same impeller rotation speed, where at 120,000 RPM, curve 104 is the lowest flow rate and curve 102 is the highest flow rate. The data in Figure 1 is from a flat plate diffuser with 14 vanes. Vane position lines 118 indicate the approximate position of each vane relative to the static pressure measurements. As shown in Figure 1, each of the pressure curves 102-116 has a sawtooth pattern, with peaks corresponding to each vane position 118, with the sawtooth pattern primarily representing the cascade of turbomachinery vanes. cascade or due to the normal vane-to-vane pressure field that exists within vane diffusers. Accordingly, pressure curves 102-116 have a first spatial frequency that is substantially equal to the spatial frequency of the vanes of the flat plate diffuser. However, the pressure curves 102-116 also have a lower-frequency wave type variation superposed on the sawtooth shape, where the lower-frequency wave It has a main spatial frequency lower than the spatial frequency of the vanes. Figure 2 shows the pressure curves from Figure 1 - a subset of curves 102, 104 and 112. Figure 2 also includes mean pressure curves 202, 204, and 206, which in this example are 6th order polynomial curves. Low-frequency spatial variations in time-averaged circumferential static pressure can be seen within the mean pressure curves (202, 204 and 206), where in this example each flow rate has two maxima around the circumference of the machine. and a low-frequency pressure deviation with two minimum values.

Figures 1 and 2 show that, contrary to the common assumption made in turbomachinery design that the time-averaged circumferential flow and pressure distribution at the diffuser inlet is substantially axisymmetric, the static pressure does in fact vary around the circumference of the machine. In areas of high pressure, velocities may be generally lower and the vane incidence may be closer to one extreme, for example low or high, depending on the phase angle. there is. And in areas of low pressure, velocities may be generally higher and the vane incidence angle may be closer to the other extreme, for example high or low. Therefore, in areas where incidence at the diffuser inlet is high due to this distortion, early stall may occur more easily and losses may be relatively high. In these cases the flow field may develop high and low flow regions with different pressures to pass the asymmetric impeller flow into a fixed number of diffuser passages.

Figure 3 shows three flow rates (302, 304, 306) with the same flat plate diffuser as Figures 1 and 2, but with the compressor operating at a different speed, here at 135,000 RPM, with curve 304 being the lowest flow rate. Curve 302 shows static pressure test data at the highest flow rate. Average pressure curves 308, 310, and 312 show low-frequency anomalies similar to those shown in FIG. 2, and also local maxima and Indicates the circumferential shift of the minimum value (minima).

Figures 4 and 5 similarly show the static pressure at the diffuser inlet for a double-divergence channel diffuser operably coupled to a centrifugal compressor impeller operating at 100,000 RPM (Figure 4) and 135,000 RPM (Figure 5). Shows the time-averaged circumferential distribution of . 4, pressure curves 402 and 404 and mean pressure curves 408, 410 have a dominant spatial frequency distribution that is lower than that of the diffuser channels, as indicated by vane positions 406. shows the low-frequency circumferential deviation. Unlike Figures 1-3, pressure curves 402 and 404 do not have a higher-frequency local maximum in the sawtooth pattern with the same number of vanes at positions 406. Instead, pockets 412 exist in the data and shift with the flow rate. Pocket 412 suggests that an offset or relief process may occur to allow non-uniform flow to enter fixed diffuser passages and, at least within the area of pocket 412, have potential performance potential. These represent underperforming diffuser passages. Figure 5 includes average pressure curves 512, 514, 516, and 518 and pressure curves 502, 504, 506, and 508, respectively, corresponding to four different flow rates, all at 135,000 RPM. As in Figure 4, pockets 510 appear at each flow rate.

Extensive testing and analysis of circumferential pressure data for various diffuser types showed that the low-frequency circumferential pressure distribution shown in Figures 1-5 does not result from an asymmetric flow path located upstream or downstream of the diffuser. Figure 6 shows an example of an asymmetric flow path in the form of a volute 600 located downstream of the diffuser 602. Volutes, such as volute 600, create asymmetries in the flow field of a diffuser, such as diffuser 602, near the cutwater 604 (referred to as volute tongue 604), e.g. For example, it is well known to create a volute distortion zone 606 extending between locations A and B. In the example shown, the volute distortion region extends from approximately 90 degrees upstream of the cutwater 604 (position “A”) to approximately 45 degrees downstream of the cutwater (position “B”). Figure 7 shows circumferential pressure versus flow rate for a pump or compressor with a volute. As shown in FIG. 7, the volute produces low flow due to strong diffusion within the volute, under conditions where the flow rate increases and the volute flow state diminishes as it switches from diffusion to acceleration. generate strong circumferential distortions in the impeller outlet pressures. In Figure 7 the pressure curves 1 and 2 are within the volute distortion region 606 (Figure 6).

Various diffuser designs have been developed to improve diffuser performance in machines with asymmetric flow paths, such as volutes, attempting to account for the large circumferential distortions produced by the volute or other asymmetric flow path. Other examples of asymmetric flow paths located upstream or downstream of the diffuser include a side inlet in front of the impeller, an asymmetric collector, etc. Instead of localized bulk pressure distortions caused by a volute-like asymmetric flow path, the low-frequency pressure deviations shown in Figures 1-5 extend around the entire circumference of the machine and actively shift within the position given the operating conditions. These are active phenomena and exist regardless of whether asymmetric flow paths exist. This specification discloses various diffusers with biased passages designed and configured to improve diffuser performance in light of these low-frequency spatial pressure variations. In some embodiments, the biased passages are positioned, configured, and dimensioned to bias the low-frequency circumferential pressure distribution at the diffuser inlet toward circumferential uniformity, such as the low-frequency deviations shown in Figures 1-5. do. In other examples, biased passages may also, or instead, improve the performance of turbomachinery in terms of flow field variations, correct flow field variations, and increase control of spatial flow field variations. It is designed and configured to improve the performance of turbomachinery, including:

This disclosure includes various diffuser design variables or characteristics that can be combined in any number of different combinations to develop a diffuser with biased passages tailored for particular performance and flow fields. Non-limiting examples of such diffuser design variables or characteristics include vane leading edge location, vane trailing edge location, radial distance of the vane from the diffuser centerline, vane chord length, maximum thickness of the vane, vane height, and vane flow direction shape. Distribution, vane stagger angle, vane wedge angle, channel divergence angle, vane pitch, vane lean, vane twist, vane leading edge. Shapes, such as leading edge chevrons, swallowtails, scallops, etc., fixed or movable vanes, height of passage between hub and shroud surfaces, circumference of biased passages. Including, but not limited to, the directional location, number of biased passages, and one or more flow direction channels located on one or both of the hub and shroud surfaces extending upstream and/or downstream of the diffuser passageway. One or more diffuser design variables to create one or more biased passages having a cross-sectional flow area distribution in a flow direction that is different from the cross-sectional flow area distribution of a plurality of different diffuser passages in the same vane row, The diffuser vanes can be adjusted for a subset of vanes within a row. Combinations of such diffuser design variables include, for example, flat plate, airfoil, straight channel, conical, single row or tandem, single or multiple vane types for each row, and solidity. It can be applied to any type of diffuser, including any type of vane diffuser.

In still other examples, diffusers prepared in accordance with the present invention include multi-vane groupings, each vane grouping having two vanes each having one or more different characteristics than other of the vanes in the grouping. Contains more than one vane. The groupings may be arranged in a periodic arrangement around the circumference of the machine, or in an aperiodic arrangement, creating one or more biased passages. One or more characteristics that vary between vanes within a vane grouping include vane leading edge location, vane trailing edge location, vane radial distance from the diffuser centerline, vane chord length, vane maximum thickness, vane height, vane flow direction shape distribution, Vane stagger angle, vane wedge angle, channel divergence angle, vane pitch, vane lean, vane twist, vane leading edge shape such as leading edge chevron, swallowtail, scallop, etc., fixed or movable vanes. , which may include, but is not limited to, the height of the passageway between the hub and shroud surfaces. One or more of those characteristics may be changed. Such groupings can improve the performance of turbomachinery, including improving the performance of turbomachinery in terms of flow field deviations, such as the circumferential pressure deviations described above, correcting flow field deviations, and increasing the controllability of spatial flow field deviations. It is designed, constructed and located so as to

Examples of vaneless diffusers with biased passageways are flow channels, grooves, or other recesses positioned within the hub or shroud surface to vary the passage height in one or more circumferential locations. and vaneless diffusers with directional recesses. As described further below, elongated recesses include, but are not limited to, flow direction grooves with rounded edges and flow direction channels with substantially square edges. In some examples, vaneless diffusers may have an aperiodic arrangement of flow direction recesses. The flowwise length of such recesses can vary from longer recesses extending upstream of the diffuser and downstream of the diffuser into the impeller to shorter recesses of shorter length and located at flowwise locations within the diffuser. there is. The biased passages disclosed herein may have a cross-sectional area that is larger than that of other passages in the diffuser row. Such increased flow area passage(s) may be designed and constructed to accommodate the asymmetric portion of the impeller discharge flow and cause a more uniform distribution of flow into other non-biased passages. ) can be provided. In other examples, the biased passages disclosed herein may have a reduced cross-sectional area compared to the cross-sectional area of other non-biased passages, including completely blocked passages. Accordingly, as used herein, a reduced area biased passageway may include completely blocked passageways, or the absence of a diffuser passageway in a location where the passageway would be for a fully periodic diffuser passageway arrangement. The biased passages of this reduced flow area can be designed and configured to redistribute or otherwise influence the asymmetric impeller discharge flow field, providing a more uniform passage of flow within the non-biased passages.

The invention also includes experimental and computational methods for designing flow structures for turbomachines to improve performance. In one example, a computational model of a turbomachinery and/or diffuser may be developed. Circumferential pressure distribution can be calculated at one or more operating conditions and the performance of the diffuser can be analyzed. In some cases, a low-frequency circumferential deviation in pressure can be calculated at the diffuser inlet. The computational model of the diffuser can be adjusted iteratively with the addition of one or more biased passages, and the circumferential pressure distribution and diffuser performance can be calculated for each case to identify an optimized biased passage design. there is. In other examples, instead of calculating the circumferential pressure distribution, seeded perturbation in the diffuser inlet pressure or other uniform approach can be used to model calculations for various diffuser designs to determine the optimal biased passage arrangement. can be applied to In still other examples, experimental methods to determine biased passage designs can be implemented, which includes a test platform equipped with sufficient pressure measurements around the circumference of the diffuser inlet to fully characterize the main components of the circumferential pressure variation ( It includes the instrumenting phase of the testing platform. Circumferential pressure differentials for various diffuser designs with and without biased passages can be measured and the determined biased passage designs can be improved.

8-20 show example embodiments of vane diffusers with one or more biased passages. 8 shows an exemplary vane flat plate having a row of vanes 802 extending in the flow direction between the diffuser inlet 808 and outlet 810 and extending between the hub 804 and shroud 806. A portion of a solidity diffuser (vaned flat plate low solidity diffuser 800) is shown. Row 802 includes a plurality of first vanes 812 and at least one second vane 814. The first vanes 812 are evenly spaced around one or more portions of the diffuser 800, although only three are shown. As shown, the second vane 814 has different characteristics than the first vanes 812, here a different height, and the second vane 814 is a partial height vane attached to the hub 804. height vane). The partial height of the second vane 814 creates a bias passage 816 having a cross-sectional area distribution different from the passage 816 between the first vanes 812 in the flow direction. Accordingly, the diffuser 800 has a plurality of passages located around the circumference of the diffuser, including at least one periodic section of passages 816 extending between the first vanes 812, The sections are periodic as the fields 812 are evenly spaced at regular intervals around the diffuser centerline. The diffuser 800 also includes at least one aperiodic section comprising a biased passageway 818 , wherein there is a discontinuity in the periodic nature of the first vanes 812 , where there is a further aperiodic section than the passageways 816 . The section is aperiodic since there is a biased passage 818 with a large cross-sectional flow area. The exemplary diffuser 800 is designed and configured to receive a flow field having a circumferential pressure distribution, and the biased passageway 816 is configured to bias the circumferential pressure distribution for circumferential uniformity, e.g., FIG. 1 They are positioned, configured and dimensioned to bias low-frequency spatial pressure variations, such as those shown in -5. The biased passageway may also be positioned, configured, and dimensioned to improve the performance of turbomachinery, including improving the performance of turbomachinery in terms of flow field variations, correcting flow field variations, and increasing the controllability of spatial flow field variations. do. Diffuser 800 may have one or more biased passages 816 located anywhere around the circumference of the diffuser. 9 shows a diffuser 900 substantially identical to diffuser 800, with first vanes 902 and at least one second vane 908 extending between a hub 904 and a shroud 906. It includes, and the second vane is at a partial height to create a bias passage. Unlike the diffuser 800, the second vane 908 is attached to the shroud 906 instead of the hub 904. Alternative embodiments include combinations of second vanes 814 and 908, for example, one or more partial-height vanes attached to the shroud surface and one or more partial-height vanes attached to the hub surface. It may include a single diffuser with tall vanes.

10 shows another feature, wherein a plurality of first vanes 1002 and at least one with a radial distance and a stagger angle from the centerline 1005 of the diffuser 100 form a biased passageway 1006. An exemplary diffuser 1000 is shown having a second vane 1004 of The dashed line 1008 indicates the periodic nature of the first vanes, e.g. where one of the first vanes 1002 would be located if the periodic first vane position was continuous, as is the case with existing diffusers. . Dashed lines 1010 indicate that the stagger angle can be varied +/- from the first vane stagger angle. Although only a portion of the diffuser 1000 is shown, the diffuser may include one or more biased passages 1006. The first and second vanes 1002, 1004 may both be full height, or one or both may be partial height. As shown, the exemplary second vane 1004 slides backwards along the flow direction relative to the periodic first vane position 1008 such that the leading edge 1012 and the trailing edge 1014 are both aligned with the first vane position. The leading and trailing edges 1016, 1018 of field 1002 may be at a greater radial distance from the center line 1005. The biased passageway 1006 creates an aperiodic section in the diffuser 1000 in the form of a larger cross-sectional flow area at the inlet 1020 of the diffuser 1000.

11 shows an exemplary diffuser 1100 having a plurality of first vanes 1102 and at least one second vane 1104, with different characteristics, herein thickness, forming a biased passageway 1106. ) is shown. Although only a portion of the diffuser 1100 is shown, the diffuser may include two or more biased passages 1106. The first and second vanes 1102, 1104 may both be full height, or one or both may be partial height. As shown, the exemplary second vane 1104 is thinner than the first vanes 1102, resulting in biased passages 1106 having a different cross-sectional area distribution than passages 1108, and Adjacent to the two vanes 1104 creates an aperiodic section in the diffuser 1100 in the form of a larger cross-sectional flow area.

FIG. 12 is similar to the diffuser 1100 (FIG. 11) with different characteristics, herein a plurality of first vanes 1202 and at least one, having a maximum thickness, forming biased passages 1206. An example diffuser 1200 is shown having a second vane 1204. Although only a portion of the diffuser 1200 is shown, the diffuser may include two or more biased passages 1206. The first and second vanes 1202, 1204 may both be full height, or one or both may be partial height. As shown, the exemplary second vane 1204 is thicker than the first vanes 1202, resulting in biased passages 1206 having a different cross-sectional area distribution than passages 1208, and Adjacent to the two vanes 1204 is an aperiodic section in the diffuser 1200 in the form of a smaller cross-sectional flow region.

13 shows a plurality of first vanes 1302 similar to diffusers 1100 and 1200 (FIGS. 11 and 12), but with different characteristics, here a chord length, forming a biased passageway 1306. and at least one second vane 1304. Although only a portion of the diffuser 1300 is shown, the diffuser may include two or more biased passages 1306. The first and second vanes 1302, 1304 may both be full height, or one or both may be partial height. As shown, the exemplary second vane 1304 is longer than the first vanes 1302, resulting in biased passages 1306 having a different flow direction cross-sectional area distribution than passages 1308. , creating an aperiodic section in the diffuser 1300 near the second vane 1304. 14 shows a diffuser 1400 that is substantially identical to diffuser 1300, with equivalent components having the same names and the same reference numeral suffix. Unlike the diffuser 1300, the second vane 1404 may have a different twisting angle than the first vanes 1402, as indicated by the dashed line 1410, which represents one possible alternative twisting angle. . The particular twist angle of the second vane 1404 can be varied to include both positive and negative angles with respect to the first vane 1402 angle.

15 is similar to diffusers 1100-1400 (FIGS. 11-14), but has different characteristics, here a pitch, and thus a second vane that differs from the spacing between adjacent first vanes 1502. 1504) and a circumferential gap between adjacent vanes, forming biased passages 1506a and 1506b, comprising a plurality of first vanes 1502 and at least one second vane 1504. An exemplary diffuser 1500 is shown. Biased passage 1506a has a smaller cross-sectional area than passages 1508 and biased passage 1506b has a larger cross-sectional area than passages 1508. Although only a portion of the diffuser 1500 is shown, the diffuser may include two or more biased passages 1506a, b. The first and second vanes 1502, 1504 may both be full height, or one or both may be partial height. As shown, the exemplary second vane 1504 has the same pitch, shape, and chord length as the first vanes 1202, but is located at a circumferential location that is different from the periodic first vane location, making it non- This results in a diffuser 1500 with a uniform and aperiodic circumferential vane pitch distribution and aperiodic sections.

16 shows a plurality of first vanes 1602 (only two of the twelve labeled) and two second vanes each having characteristics different from the first vanes, wherein the maximum thickness and chord length An example diffuser 1600 is shown having 1604a, 1604b, forming biased passages 1606a and 1606b. The second vane 1604a has the same thickness as the first vanes 1602, but has a longer chord length, so that the biased passages 1606a have a different flow direction cross-sectional area distribution than the passages 1608. ) is created. The second vane 1604b has a greater thickness than the first vanes 1602, thereby forming biased passages with a different flow direction cross-sectional area distribution, including a smaller cross-sectional area than the passages 1608. 1606b) is created. The first and second vanes 1602, 1604a, 1604b can both be full height, or one or both of them can be partial height. As shown, the second vanes 1604a, 1604b and associated biased passages 1606a, 1606b are spaced approximately 180 degrees around the circumference of the diffuser 1600. The first vanes 1602 are equally spaced from adjacent first vanes, providing two periodic sections 1610, and the second vanes 1604a, 1604b are two aperiodic sections 1612. ) is created.

17 shows a plurality of first vanes 1702 (only two of the seven labeled) and a plurality of second vanes 1704 each having a characteristic different from the first vanes 1702, herein a chord length. An exemplary diffuser 1700 is shown having (only two of seven labeled). Unlike diffuser 1600, diffuser 1700 has the same number of first vanes 1702 and second vanes 1704 and a completely periodic arrangement of passages 1706a, 1706b. First vanes 1702 and second vanes 1704 may both be full height, or one or both may be partial height. Here, first and second vanes 1702, 1704, two vanes per grouping, are disposed within vane groupings, and the diffuser 1700 forms a periodic array of multi-vane groupings. and each vane grouping includes first and second vanes 1702 and 1704, each having characteristics different from other vanes in the grouping. 18 is substantially the same as the diffuser 1700, with a plurality of first vanes 1802 (only two of the seven labeled) and other characteristics of the first vanes 1802, herein being the chord length. A diffuser 1800 is shown, each having a plurality of second vanes 1804 (only two of the seven are labeled). Unlike the diffuser 1700, each of the second vanes 1804 has a different flow direction position than the first vanes 1802, and the position of the leading edge 1812 is a different radial distance, here from the diffuser centerline. It is at a greater distance from the diffuser centerline 1814 than the radial distance of the first vane leading edges 1816. For example, each second vane 1804 slides backwards in the direction of flow relative to the periodic first vane position. As in diffuser 1700, diffuser 1800 includes first and second vanes 1802, 1804 arranged in multi-vane groupings, here being two vanes per grouping, and diffuser 1800 has a periodic arrangement of multi-vane groupings. In other examples, one or more characteristics of one or more of the first and/or second vanes 1702, 1802, 1704, 1804 may be used to resolve asymmetric pressure fields, such as those shown in FIGS. 1-5. may be modified to create one or more aperiodic sections with biased passages configured for One or more characteristics may include any of the characteristics described herein, such as vane height, stagger angle, pitch, vane shape, vane leading and trailing edge positions, chord length, etc.

19 shows a plurality of first vanes 1902 (only two of the seven labeled) and a plurality of second vanes each having characteristics different from the first vanes 1902, wherein the chord length and the stagger angle Shows an exemplary diffuser 1900 with (1904) (only two of seven labeled). The diffuser 1900 has a completely periodic arrangement of passages 1906a, when the same number of first vanes 1902 and second vanes 1904 and the second vanes 1904 are all at the same crossing angle. 1906b). The first vanes 1902 and the second vanes 1904 can both be full height, or one or both of them can be partial height. First and second vanes 1902, 1904, here two vanes per grouping, are arranged in vane groupings, and the diffuser 1900 has a periodic arrangement of multi-vane groupings. As indicated by dashed lines 1910, the offset angle of the second vanes 1904 can be the same as that of the first vanes 1902, or can vary in a positive or negative direction from the first vane offset angle. . In some embodiments, the angle of deviation of the second vanes 1904 can be varied and positioned to form a periodic arrangement with one or more biased passages. For example, all but one of the second vanes 1904 may have the same stagger angle as the first vanes 1902, and one of the second vanes may have alternating stagger angles, so that the changed - Two biased passages can be provided on either side of the altered-angle full height second vane. In other examples, the angle of deviation of different numbers of second vanes 1904 may be varied.

Figure 20 shows a diffuser 2000 that is substantially identical to the diffuser 1900, and equivalent components have the same names and the same reference number suffixes. Unlike the diffuser 1900, in the case where the crossing angle of the second vanes 1904 can be changed, within the diffuser 2000, the crossing angle of the first vanes 2002 is indicated by dashed lines 2010. It can be changed as it is. As in diffuser 1900, the angle of deviation of less than all first vanes 2002 is different from the others of the first vanes, resulting in an aperiodic arrangement and one or more biased passages. do. First and second vanes 2002, 2004, here two vanes per grouping, are arranged in vane groupings, and the diffuser 2000 has a periodic arrangement of multi-vane groupings. In other examples, the characteristics of the diffusers 1900 and 2000 may vary depending on the angle of deviation of a subset of the first vanes 1902, 2002 or a subset of the second vanes 1904, 2004 or the first and second vanes. All of them can be combined, including changing the twist angle of selected ones.

In another embodiment, an exemplary diffuser may include multiple vane groupings, with each vane within a grouping having a different height. For example, the vane grouping may include two partial-height vanes including a first partial-height vane attached to the hub or shroud surface and a second, adjacent partial-height vane attached to the hub or shroud surface. . The diffuser may include a periodic arrangement of groupings, for example in one example the first and second partial height vanes may be equally spaced all around the circumference of the machine. In one example, the first partial height vane may have a different height than the second partial height vane. For example, the first partial height vane may have a height between approximately 15% and approximately 65% of the passage height, and in some examples may have a height that is approximately 50% of the passage height. The second partial height vane may have a height between approximately 5% and approximately 45% of the passageway height, and in some examples may have a height approximately 15%. In one example, within each vane grouping first and second partial height vanes may be mounted on opposite sides of the passageway, for example a first partial height vane may be mounted on a shroud and a second partial height vane may be mounted on a shroud. Partial height vanes can be mounted on the hub. Such partial-height vane grouping can reduce leading edge metal blockage and increase passage area, improving performance by allowing flow reorganization, especially near the choke. In still other examples, vane groupings may include three or more vanes, with the vane groupings repeating around the perimeter of the diffuser. In still other examples, one or more biased passageways can be formed by positioning vane groupings adjacent to periodic sections. For example, in a diffuser with 14 vanes, two vane groupings with first and second partial height vanes may be used in positions 2 to 12 of the 14 vanes in one or more circumferential positions. This creates one or more biased passages.

Figure 21 shows a prior art channelized diffuser 2100, and Figures 22-23 show example embodiments of channeled diffusers according to the present invention. As shown in Figure 21, a prior art channelized diffuser 2100 includes a plurality of vanes 2102 (only one labeled) defining passages 2104 (only one labeled) in the form of channels. do. Diffuser 2100 is similar to the diffuser used to obtain the test data shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. The diffuser 2100 is completely periodic and symmetrical, with each vane 2101 having the same divergence angle (S) and wedge angle (W), and each passage 2104 having the same divergence angle (D). do.

22 shows an example channel diffuser 2200 with a plurality of passages 2202 (only one labeled) extending between first vanes 2204 (only one labeled). However, unlike the prior art diffuser 2100, each passage 2202 also includes a second vane 2206 positioned between adjacent first vanes 2204. The exemplary second vanes 2206 are flat plates and each has a leading edge 2208 downstream from the diffuser inlet 2210 and a trailing edge 2212 located upstream of the diffuser outlet 2214. The second vanes 2206 are full height. In other examples, one or more of the first and/or second vanes 2204, 2206 may be partial height. In the depicted embodiment, the second vanes 2206 have a chord length that is shorter than the length of the passages 2202 and are positioned substantially centrally within the passages in both the circumferential and flow directions. First and second vanes 2204, 2206, here two vanes per grouping, are arranged in vane groupings, and the diffuser 2200 has a periodic arrangement of multi-vane groupings. However, the example passages 2202 are periodic, and one or more characteristics of the one or more first vanes 2204 and/or second vanes 2206 can be varied to create one or more biased passages. . One or more features of the one or more first and/or second vanes 2204, 2206 may include biased passages configured to resolve asymmetric pressure fields, e.g., as shown in FIGS. 1-5. It can be modified to create one or more aperiodic sections. One or more characteristics may include any of the characteristics described herein, such as vane height, stagger angle, pitch, vane shape, vane leading and trailing edge positions, and chord length. For example, the secondary vanes 2206 can be of any type, including an airfoil type, and need not be all centered within the passageways 2202; At least one may be repositioned or resized to create a biased passageway including a partial height design.

23 shows an example channel diffuser 2300 similar to channel diffuser 2200, with equivalent components having the same names and the same reference number suffixes. The descaler 2300 includes a plurality of passages 2302 (only one labeled) extending between first vanes 2304 (only one labeled). Each passageway 2302 also includes a second vane 2306 positioned between adjacent first vanes 2304. Exemplary second vanes 2306 are flat plates. Compared to second vanes 2206 (FIG. 22), second vanes 2306 are narrower and located further upstream, and in this example have a leading edge 2308 located at diffuser inlet 2310 and diffuser outlet. It has a trailing edge 2312 located further upstream of 2314. The second vanes 2306 are full height. In other examples, one or more of the first and/or second vanes 2304, 2306 may be partial height. In the example shown, the second vanes 2306 have a chord length that is shorter than the length of the passages 2302 and are positioned substantially centrally within the passages in the circumferential direction and central to the passages 2302 in the direction of flow. It is located upstream of the midpoint. First and second vanes 2304, 2306, here two vanes per grouping, are arranged in vane groupings, and the diffuser 2300 has a periodic arrangement of multi-vane groupings. However, the example passages 2302 are periodic, and one or more characteristics of the one or more first vanes 2304 and/or second vanes 2306 may be varied to create one or more biased passages. One or more features of the one or more first and/or second vanes 2304, 2306 may include one having biased passages configured to resolve asymmetric pressure fields, e.g., the asymmetric pressure fields shown in FIGS. 1-5. It can be changed to create more asymmetrical sections. One or more characteristics may include any of the characteristics described herein, such as vane height, stagger angle, pitch, vane shape, vane leading and trailing edge location, and chord length. For example, the secondary vanes 2306 can be of any type, including an airfoil type, and do not all need to be centrally located within the passageways 2302; At least one may be repositioned or resized to create a bias passage including a partial height design.

24 shows that the diffuser 2400 includes a plurality of first vanes 2402 and a second vane 2404 with characteristics different from the first vanes 2402, wherein the diffuser 2400 has a wedge angle. and shows an exemplary channel diffuser 2400 that is identical to the prior art diffuser 2100 (FIG. 21). In the illustrated example, the diffuser 2400 includes a single second vane 2404 positioned within the periodic position of the first vane 2402 or where the first vane 2402 was positioned in the prior art arrangement. The second vane 2404 has a wedge angle W2 that is smaller than the wedge angle W1 of the first vane 2402. The smaller wedge angle W2 of the second vane 2404 creates two biased passages 2406. The diffuser 2400 includes an aperiodic section 2412 comprising two biased passages 2406 and a periodic section 2408 of associated passages 2410 and first vanes 2402. In other examples, one or more additional first vanes 2402 are replaced with second vanes 2404, which may have one or more characteristics different from the first vanes 2402, thereby creating one or more additional biased passages. create them.

FIG. 25 shows an example channel diffuser 2500 similar to diffuser 2400 ( FIG. 24 ), with equivalent components having identical names and identical reference numeral suffixes. The diffuser 2500 includes a plurality of first vanes 2502 and one second vane 2504 having a different characteristic than the first vanes 2502, here a wedge angle. Unlike the diffuser 2400, the second vane 2504 has a larger wedge angle than the first vanes 2502. In the illustrated example, the diffuser 2500 includes a single second vane 2504 positioned within the periodic position of the first vane 2502 or where the first vane 2502 is positioned in the prior art arrangement. The second vane 2504 has a wedge angle W2 that is larger than the wedge angle W1 of the first vane 2502. The larger wedge angle W2 of the second vane 2504 results in two biased passages 2506 having a smaller cross-sectional area than the passages 2510. The diffuser 2500 includes an aperiodic section 2412 comprising two biased passages 2406 and a periodic section 2508 of associated passages 2410 and first vanes 2502. In other examples, one or more additional first vanes 2502 are replaced with second vanes 2504, which may have one or more characteristics different from the first vanes 2502, thereby creating one or more additional biased passages. create them.

26 illustrates an example channel diffuser 2600 similar to diffusers 2400 (FIG. 24) and 2500 (FIG. 25), with equivalent components having the same name and the same reference numeral suffix. Equipped with The diffuser 2600 includes a plurality of first vanes 2602 and one second vane 2604 having a different characteristic than the first vanes 2602, here, a chord length. In the illustrated example, the diffuser 2600 includes a single second vane 2604 positioned within the periodic position of the first vane 2602 or where the first vane 2602 was positioned in the prior art arrangement. The longer length of the second vane 2604 creates two biased passages 2606 that achieve a different flow direction cross-sectional area distribution than the passages 2610, and provides additional passages 2606 at the diffuser outlet to reduce losses at the diffuser outlet. This creates a trailing edge of the second vane 2604, which acts as a flow guide. Diffuser 2600 includes an aperiodic section 2612 comprising two biased passages 2606 and a periodic section 2608 of associated passages 2610 and first vanes 2602. In other examples, one or more additional first vanes 2602 are replaced with second vanes 2604, which may have one or more characteristics different from the first vanes 2602, thereby creating one or more additional biased passages. create them.

27 illustrates an example channel diffuser 2700 similar to diffusers 2400 (FIG. 24), 2500 (FIG. 25), and 2600 (FIG. 26), with equivalent components having the same designation and the same reference number suffix. (reference numeral suffix) is provided. The diffuser 2700 has a plurality of first vanes 2702 and one second vane 2604 having a different characteristic than the first vanes 2702, wherein the vane divergence angle produces alternating passage divergence angles. ) includes. In the example shown, diffuser 2700 includes a single second vane 2704 positioned approximately within where first vane 2702 was positioned in the prior art arrangement. As indicated by the dashed lines, the offset angle of the second vane 2704 varies in the +/- direction with respect to the offset angle of the first vanes 2702, resulting in a different flow direction cross-sectional area than the passages 2710. This results in two biased passages 2706 with a distribution. The diffuser 2700 includes an aperiodic section 2712 comprising two biased passages 2706 and a periodic section 2708 of associated passages 2710 and first vanes 2702. In other examples, one or more additional first vanes 2702 are replaced with second vanes 2704, which may have one or more characteristics different from the first vanes 2702, thereby creating one or more additional biased passages. create them.

28 shows an exemplary channel diffuser 2800 similar to diffusers 2400 (FIG. 24), 2500 (FIG. 25), 2600 (FIG. 26), and 2700 (FIG. 27), with equivalent components having the same designation. and the same reference numeral suffix. The diffuser 2800 has a plurality of first vanes 2802 and a second vane 2804 that has a characteristic different from the first vanes 2802, wherein the vane pitch changes the vane circumferential position and spacing. ) includes. In the example shown, diffuser 2800 includes a single second vane 2804 within one of the first vanes 2802. As shown, the pitch of the second vane 2804 is different from the pitch of the first vanes 2802, so that there are two biased passages 2806a, which have different flow direction cross-sectional area distributions than the passages 2810. 2806b). Diffuser 2800 includes an aperiodic section 2812 comprising two biased passages 2806a, 2806b and a periodic section 2808 of associated passages 2810 and first vanes 2802. In other examples, one or more additional first vanes 2802 are replaced with second vanes 2804, which may have one or more characteristics different from the first vanes 2802, thereby creating one or more additional biased passages. create them.

29 shows an example diffuser 2900 that combines the characteristics of diffusers 2500 (FIG. 25) and 2600 (FIG. 26). As shown, diffuser 2900 has a plurality of first vanes 2902. ) and two second vanes 2904a, 2904b, each having different characteristics than the first vanes 2902. The second vane 2904a has a longer chord length than the first vanes 2902. and the second vane 2904b has a wedge angle W2 greater than the wedge angle W1 of the first vanes 2902, and has a bias cross-sectional area in the flow direction different from the passages 2910. The diffuser 2900 has aperiodic sections 2912a, 2912b including individually biased passages 2906a, 2906b and associated passages 2910 and a first vane. and periodic sections 2908a, 2908b of blades 2902. In other examples, one or more additional first vanes 2902 may have one or more characteristics different from the first vanes 2902. Replaced by 2 vanes 2904, creating one or more additional biased passages.

30 has a plurality of first vanes 3002 (only one labeled) and a plurality of second vanes 3004 (only one labeled), each of the second vanes being different from the first vanes 3002. An exemplary channel diffuser 3000 is shown, each having characteristics, herein code length. The diffuser 3000 has equal numbers of first vanes 3002 and second vanes 3004 and a fully periodic arrangement of passages 3006a, 3006b. As with the channel diffusers disclosed herein, the first vanes 3002 and second vanes 3004 may both be full height, or one or both may be partial height. 31 is similar to a diffuser 3000 and includes a plurality of first vanes 3102 (only one labeled) and a plurality of second vanes 3104 (only one labeled), where the second vanes each have a first vane 3102 (only one labeled). 1 vanes 3102 and have different characteristics, here the chord length and flow direction position. Each of the second vanes 3104 has a different flow direction position than the first vanes 3102, and the position of the leading edge 3112 is a different radial distance, where the first vane leading edges from the diffuser centerline. It is at a greater distance from the diffuser centerline 3114 than the radial distance of 3116. For example, each second vane 3104 slides backwards in the flow direction relative to the periodic first vane position. One or more characteristics of the one or more first and/or second vanes 3002, 3102, 3004, 3104 may be configured to resolve asymmetric pressure fields, e.g., a biased passageway configured to resolve asymmetric pressure fields as shown in FIGS. 1-5. may be modified to create one or more aperiodic sections comprising: One or more characteristics may include any of the characteristics described herein, such as vane height, stagger angle, pitch, vane shape, vane leading and trailing edge positions, chord length, etc.

FIG. 32 shows a diffuser 3200 that is substantially identical to diffuser 3000 ( FIG. 30 ), with equivalent components having the same names and the same reference number suffixes. Unlike the diffuser 3000, where the wedge angle, vane stagger angle, and channel divergence angle of the first and second vanes 3002 and 3004 are the same, the associated channel divergence angles of the adjacent passages 3206 and the first vane The crossing angle of 3202 can be changed from the crossing angle of the second vanes 3204 in either direction. In some examples, the angle of deviation of less than all first vanes 3202 is different from the others of the first vanes, resulting in an aperiodic arrangement and one or more biased passages 3206. It creates. 33 except that instead of varying the divergence angle of the first vanes 3302, the divergence angle of one or more second vanes 3304 and the associated channel divergence angles of adjacent passages 3306 are varied. , shows a diffuser 3300 that is substantially the same as the diffuser 3200. In some examples, the angle of deviation of less than all first vanes 3302 is varied to provide diffuser 3300 with one or more aperiodic sections with one or more biased passages. In other examples, one or more vane characteristic variations shown in Figures 22-23 may be combined in any combination.

34 is a perspective view of a turbomachine 3400, including an impeller 3402 and a vaneless diffuser 3404. Diffuser 3404 extends between shroud 3406 and hub 3407. Shroud 3406 extends from impeller inlet 3408, across impeller outlet/diffuser inlet 3410, and to diffuser outlet 3412. 35 and 36 are additional views of shroud 3406 and hub 3407. 35 and 36, the exemplary shroud 3406 extends from a location upstream of the diffuser inlet and adjacent impeller 3402 to a location downstream of the diffuser inlet, in this example the diffuser outlet 3412 (FIG. 34). It includes a plurality of flow direction grooves 3502 (only one labeled) extending in the flow direction. Flow direction grooves 3502 are located within the surface of shroud 3406 and have rounded edges 3504, providing the shroud wall with a circumferential profile that approximates a periodic wave shape. Exemplary grooves 3502 are designed and configured to direct a portion of the fluid flow in impeller 3402 into diffuser 3404 at a desired angle, thereby increasing the performance of turbomachine 3400. 37-39 show a turbomachine 3700 that is substantially identical to turbomachine 3400, with equivalent components having the same names and the same reference numeral suffixes. Unlike turbomachine 3400, turbomachine 3700 has flow direction grooves 3802 spaced closer together than flow direction grooves 3502 (FIG. 35), and the edges of adjacent grooves 3802 Fields 3804 substantially contact the leading edge area of the grooves.

40-42 shows this example with the same impeller 3402 and shroud 3406 as turbomachine 3400 (FIGS. 34-36), but extending in the direction of flow, as best seen in FIG. 42. shows an exemplary turbomachine 4000 with an alternative hub 4002 having flow direction grooves extending from the diffuser inlet 4204 to the diffuser outlet 4206. In the example shown, diffuser 4004 has the same number of grooves 4202 as grooves 3502 in shroud 3406, and has grooves with similarly rounded edges 4208. Grooves 4202 are circumferentially aligned with grooves 3502. Like grooves 3502, hub-side grooves 4202 can be designed and configured to guide a portion of the working fluid in a desired direction to improve the performance of diffuser 4004. Figures 43 and 44 show an alternating configuration from Figures 40-42, where the circumferential position of the hub-side grooves 4202 is clocked relative to the shroud-side grooves 3502. In this example, each hub-side groove 4202 is aligned to the midpoint between adjacent shroud-side grooves 3502. In other examples, any other circumferential positioning may be used.

Figures 45 and 46 show an example shroud 4502 and hub 4504 with flow direction grooves 4506 and 4508, respectively. Unlike the embodiments shown in FIGS. 40-44, shroud 4502 and hub 4504 are also provided in the form of enlarged flow direction grooves having a larger cross-sectional area than grooves 4506 and 4508. , including biased passages 4510 and 4512. The biased passages can be positioned, configured, and dimensioned to bias the circumferential pressure distribution toward circumferential uniformity and/or to provide other performance enhancements described herein. In other examples, one or both of shroud 4502 and hub 4504 may have additional biased flow direction grooves, or one or more biased flow direction grooves may be located only within the shroud or hub. The examples shown in Figures 45 and 46 include an aperiodic part, with one biased passage, in the example shown, and a periodic part of the passages in the form of flow direction grooves.

Figure 47 is a cross-sectional view of a biased diffuser passageway 4702 disposed between passages 4704. Biased passage 4702 has an increased passage height H1 from recesses 4710 located within shroud 4712 and recesses 4706 located within shroud 4708. Recesses 4706 and 4710 may be of similar shape and location as grooves 3502 (FIG. 35), 4202 (FIG. 42), or may have other configurations, such as different leading and/or trailing edge locations; It can be provided with width, flow direction length, etc. For example, in some embodiments, recesses 4706 and 4710 may have a leading edge located at the diffuser inlet. In the example shown in FIG. 47 , only one recess 4706, 4710 is located within the hub and shrouds 4708, 4712, creating a biased recess having a larger cross-sectional area than the other passages in the diffuser 4700. Create an aperiodic part with a passage. In other examples the plurality of diffuser passages may have increased height from one or more recesses located within the hub and/or shroud.

48 is a perspective view of a turbomachine 4800, including an impeller 4802 and a vaneless diffuser 4804. Diffuser 4804 extends between shroud 4806 and hub 4807. Shroud 4806 extends from impeller inlet 4808, across impeller outlet/diffuser inlet 4810, and to diffuser outlet 4812. Figure 49 is a further illustration of shroud 4806 and hub 4807. 48 and 49, the exemplary shroud 4806 and hub 4807 each include a plurality of flow direction channels 4820 and 4822 (only one of each is labeled) extending in the direction of flow. do. Flow direction grooves 3502 (Figure 35), 3802 (Figure 38) and 4202 (Figure 42) as well as channels 4820, 4822 are all flow direction elongated recesses. Channels 4820 and 4822 differ from grooves 3502, 3802, 4202 by the cross-sectional shape of the recess, with the channels having substantially square edges 4902 (FIG. 49) and the grooves having rounded edges 3504. ) (Figure 35). Shroud surface channels 4820 extend from a location upstream of the diffuser inlet 4810 and adjacent impeller 4802 to a location downstream of the diffuser inlet, in this example to the diffuser outlet 4812. Hub surface channels 4822 extend across the entire length of hub 4807 from diffuser inlet 4810 to diffuser outlet 4812. Flow direction channels 4820 are located within the surface of shroud 4806 and have substantially square edges 4902, providing the shroud walls with a circumferential profile approximating a periodic square wave shape. Similarly, flow direction channels 4822 are located on the surface of hub 4807 and have substantially square edges 4904, providing the hub wall with a circumferential profile approximating a periodic square wave shape. Exemplary channels 4820 and 4822 are designed and configured to direct a portion of the fluid flow within impeller 4802 into diffuser 4804 at a desired angle, thereby increasing the performance of turbomachine 4800. In other embodiments, the characteristics of one or both channels 4820, 4822, such as depth, width, and number of channels, may be varied. In the example shown in Figures 48 and 49, channels 4820 and 4822 are circumferentially aligned, but in other examples the relative positions may be clocked such that the hub and shroud channels are not aligned.

50 and 51 are similar to diffuser 4804 (FIG. 48) and includes a hub 5002 and shroud 5004 with hub flow direction channels 5006 and shroud flow direction channels 5008. An alternative diffuser 5000 is shown. Unlike diffuser 4804, one of each of the channels 5006 and 5008 has different characteristics than the other channels 5006 and 5008, where channels 5006a and 5008a each have expanded depth, , creates a biased passage. In other examples, the characteristics of only the hub channels 5006 or only the shroud channels 5008 may be varied from one of the hub and shroud channels to create a biased passageway. In some examples, characteristics other than depth, such as cross-sectional shape (eg groove versus channel), width, length, leading edge location, and trailing location, may be varied. In some examples, more than one hub and/or shroud channels 5006, 5008 can be varied to create a larger aperiodic section with more than one biased passageway, or more than one aperiodic section. there is. In still other examples, diffusers according to the invention have fewer flow direction recesses located at selected circumferential locations, instead of a plurality of flow direction recesses evenly spaced around the entire circumference of the machine. can do. For example, diffusers according to the invention may have only one, two, three, etc. flow direction recesses located at selected locations around the circumference of the machine.

52 and 53 show an exemplary vane diffuser 5200 having a shroud 5202 and a hub 5204, the shroud extending from the impeller inlet 5206, across the diffuser inlet 5208, and the diffuser outlet. Extended to (5210). The shroud 5202 extends to locations upstream and downstream of the diffuser inlet 5208 and has flow direction channels separated by upper legs 5214 of the leading edge 5216 of the vanes 5218. 5212). In the illustrated example, leading edges 5216 have a scallop shape, also referred to herein as a swallowtail shape. In the example shown, hub 5204 does not include flow direction recesses. In other examples, hub 5204 includes flow direction recesses, such as channels or grooves.

As shown in Figures 52 and 53, biased channel 5212a has different characteristics than the other channels 5212, including a greater depth than the depth of channels 5212 (best seen in Figure 53) and and has a leading edge location 5220 further upstream than the leading edge location 5222 of field 5212 (best visible in FIG. 52). Biased channel 5212a creates a biased passageway in the aperiodic section of diffuser 5200.

The foregoing description is a detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the invention. In this specification and the appended claims, conjunctive language, as used in the phrases “at least one of This should be taken to mean that each item in the combined list can exist in any number excluding all other items in the list, or in any number combined with any or all items in the combined list, and each can also exist in any number. You can. Applying this general rule, the conjunctive phrases in the preceding examples where the conjunctive list contains X, Y and Z must each contain: one or more X; one or more Y; one or more Zs; one or more X and one or more Y; one or more of Y and one or more Z; one or more X and one or more Z; and one or more X, one or more Y, and one or more Z.

Various changes and additions may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Each feature of the various embodiments described above may be combined with features of other described embodiments as appropriate to provide multiple feature combinations in related new embodiments. Additionally, although the foregoing describes a number of individual embodiments, those described herein are intended only to illustrate the application of the principles of the invention. Additionally, although certain methods may be illustrated and/or described herein as being performed in a certain order, the order may vary widely within the ordinary skill in achieving aspects of the invention. Accordingly, this description is to be taken by way of example only and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention otherwise.

Exemplary embodiments are disclosed above and shown in the accompanying drawings. Those skilled in the art will understand that various changes, omissions, and additions may be made to what is specifically disclosed herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

1000, 1100, 1200, 1300, 1500, 1600, 1700, 1800, 1900, 2000, 2100, 2200, 2300, 2400, 2500, 2600, 2700, 2800, 2900, 3000, 3 200, 3300, 3404, 4004, 4700, 4804, 5000, 5200, 602, 800, 900: Diffuser
2210, 2310, 3410, 4204, 4810, 5208, 808: Diffuser inlet
1002, 1102, 1202, 1302, 1402, 1502, 1602, 1702, 1802, 1902, 2002, 2204, 2304, 2402, 2502, 2602, 2702, 2802, 2902, 3002, 3 102, 3202, 3302, 812, 902: 1st vane
1004, 1104, 1204, 1304, 1404, 1504, 1604A, 1604B, 2206, 2306, 2404, 2504, 2604, 2704, 2804, 2904A, 2904B, 814, 908: 2nd vane
1006, 1106, 1206, 1306, 1506A, 1606A, 1606B, 2406, 2506, 2606, 2706, 2806A, 2906A, 3206, 4510, 816: Biased passageway
3400, 3700, 4000, 4800: Turbomachinery

Claims (45)

In the diffuser,
a hub and shroud, the hub and shroud being spanwise spaced and defining a diffuser passageway having a height; and
A row of vanes positioned in the diffuser passageway, the row of vanes comprising a plurality of first partial height vanes attached to the hub and a plurality of second partial height vanes attached to the shroud. vanes;
Including,
each of the first partial height vanes is circumferentially offset from an adjacent second one of the second partial height vanes,
The height of the first partial height vanes is different from the height of the second partial height vanes,
Each of the first partial height vanes has a first height, each of the second partial height vanes has a second height, the sum of the first height and the second height is greater than the passage height, and the first A diffuser wherein partial height vanes and adjacent partial height vanes of the second partial height vanes overlap in the span direction. In the diffuser,
a hub and shroud, the hub and shroud being spanwise spaced and defining a diffuser passageway having a height; and
A row of vanes positioned in the diffuser passageway, the row of vanes comprising a plurality of first partial height vanes attached to the hub and a plurality of second partial height vanes attached to the shroud. vanes;
Including,
each of the first partial height vanes is circumferentially offset from an adjacent second one of the second partial height vanes,
The height of the first partial height vanes is different from the height of the second partial height vanes,
A diffuser wherein the row of vanes includes at least one full height vane. The method of claim 1 or 2,
A diffuser wherein each of the first partial height vanes and the second partial height vanes has a leading edge, and the leading edges of the first partial height vanes and the second partial height vanes are aligned in a flow direction. delete According to claim 2,
Each of the first partial height vanes has a first height, each of the second partial height vanes has a second height, the sum of the first height and the second height is greater than the passage height, and the first A diffuser wherein partial height vanes and adjacent partial height vanes of the second partial height vanes overlap in the span direction. According to claim 1,
A diffuser wherein the spanwise overlap between adjacent partial height vanes of the first partial height vanes and the second partial height vanes is equal to or greater than 10% of the passage height. According to claim 2,
Each of the first partial height vanes has a first height, each of the second partial height vanes has a second height, the sum of the first height and the second height is less than the passage height, and the first A diffuser having a vaneless space extending spanwise between the partial height vanes and the second partial height vanes and extending circumferentially around at least a portion of the diffuser. According to claim 7,
A diffuser wherein the vaneless space has a height in the span direction equal to or greater than 5% of the passage height. The method of claim 1 or 2,
A diffuser wherein the height of the first partial height vane of at least one of the first partial height vanes or the second partial height vane of the at least one of the second partial height vanes is greater than 50% of the diffuser passage height. The method of claim 1 or 2,
The diffuser includes an inlet, wherein a first partial height vane of at least one of the first partial height vanes or a second partial height vane of at least one of the second partial height vanes is located at the inlet and is positioned at the diffuser passage height. A diffuser with a height greater than 50% of The method of claim 1 or 2,
The diffuser of claim 1, wherein the offset angle of the first partial height vane of one of the first partial height vanes is equal to the offset angle of the second partial height vane of one of the second partial height vanes. The method of claim 1 or 2,
A diffuser wherein a first of the first partial height vanes is the most upstream vane and has a height equal to or greater than the height of all partial height vanes attached to the hub. The method of claim 1 or 2,
The diffuser of claim 1, wherein the first partial height vanes are the only partial height vanes attached to the hub, and the first partial height vanes have leading edges aligned in the direction of flow. The method of claim 1 or 2,
A diffuser wherein each of the first partial height vanes and the second partial height vanes has a height defining an open space extending from a corresponding partial height vane to an opposing hub or shroud. According to claim 1,
A diffuser wherein the row of vanes includes at least one full height vane. The method of claim 1 or 2,
A diffuser wherein the height of the first partial height vane of at least one of the first partial height vanes or the second partial height vane of the at least one of the second partial height vanes is between 5% and 15% of the passage height. The method of claim 1 or 2,
A diffuser wherein the height of the first partial height vane of at least one of the first partial height vanes or the second partial height vane of the at least one of the second partial height vanes is between 5% and 45% of the passage height. The method of claim 1 or 2,
A diffuser wherein the height of the first partial height vane of at least one of the first partial height vanes or the second partial height vane of the at least one of the second partial height vanes is between 5% and 65% of the passage height. The method of claim 1 or 2,
A diffuser wherein the first partial height vane of at least one of the first partial height vanes and the second partial height vane of the at least one of the second partial height vanes have a height greater than 50% of the diffuser passage height. The method of claim 1 or 2,
A diffuser wherein the height of all said first partial height vanes is greater than 50% of said passage height. The method of claim 1 or 2,
The row of vanes defines a plurality of passages, the plurality of passages extending in the span direction between the hub and the shroud and adjacent portions of the first partial height vanes and the second partial height vanes. each having a height extending circumferentially between height vanes, wherein the plurality of passages include at least one biased passage, and the spanwise height of the at least one biased passage is greater than that of other passages among the plurality of passages. A diffuser larger than the span direction height. The method of claim 1 or 2,
A diffuser wherein the first partial height vanes and the second partial height vanes are positioned in an alternating and repeating spatial arrangement. The method of claim 1 or 2,
The diffuser is a single row diffuser, and the row of vanes is the only row of vanes in the diffuser. The method of claim 1 or 2,
The diffuser is configured to be operably coupled to a centrifugal compressor or pump. The method of claim 1 or 2,
The hub includes a hub surface, the shroud includes a shroud surface, and the diffuser further includes at least one elongated flow direction recess located in at least one of the hub surface and the shroud surface. A diffuser. According to claim 25,
The diffuser wherein the at least one elongated flow direction recess includes a plurality of elongated flow direction recesses in an aperiodic arrangement around the circumference of the diffuser. The method of claim 1 or 2,
a diffuser wherein the plurality of first partial height vanes and the plurality of second partial height vanes are fixed and have a fixed spacing between adjacent partial height vanes of the first partial height vanes and the second plurality of partial height vanes. . The method of claim 1 or 2,
A diffuser wherein the row of vanes is a first row of vanes located downstream of the inlet of the diffuser. The method of claim 1 or 2,
The row of vanes includes at least one aperiodic section, wherein the at least one aperiodic section is defined by at least one vane having different characteristics than the first partial height vanes and the second partial height vanes. A diffuser comprising at least one biased passage. The method of claim 1 or 2,
The first partial height vanes and the second partial height vanes each have a height less than a passage height of the diffuser, thereby reducing leading edge metal blocking and increasing passage area of the diffuser. delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete

Images